SETTING THE STAGEIndiana State continues year three of the Greg Lansing era on Sunday, December 23 when the Sycamores (6-3) advance to the semifinals of the 2012 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic against No. 15/18 San Diego State (10-1) inside the Stan Sheriff Center. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. (ET). The game will be broadcast live nationally on ESPNU as well as on the WatchESPN app with Kanoa Leahey (pbp) and Sean Farnham (analyst) on the call. The game can also be heard on the radio via WIBQ 98.5 FM and along the Nelligan Sports Marketing Radio Network with Brian Fritz (pbp) and Matt Renn (analyst) on the call. GoSycamores.com will have an audio only production of the radio broadcast as well. The game will be streamed for free to eligible subscribers on WATCHESPN.com.

THE SAN DIEGO STATE SERIESIndiana State is a perfect 3-0 against San Diego State with the last matchup coming in Terre Haute back in 1967. ISU played back-to-back games against the Aztecs in 1951.

QUICK HITS - Indiana State is now 5-0 on the season when holding teams to 63 points or less and is to 31-1 when doing so under third-year head coach Greg Lansing.- Indiana State has earned 39 close victories (five points or less) since 2005. Under Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 13-5 in close games.- Manny Arop posted a career-high 27 points as part of the Sycamores' 87-85 overtime victory over Ole Miss in the opener of the 2012 Diamond Head Classic.- Jake Odum now has 339 career assists which ranks him 10th on the Indiana State Career List. He is one of eight Sycamores to be in ISU Top 10 for both assists and steals in a career.- Jake Odum is nationally-ranked in three different statistical categories (91st in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.13), 137th in assists per game (4.3) and 188th in points per game (15.5)).- The Sycamores are averaging just 12.9 turnovers per game this season, which ranks 93rd nationally.- Indiana State has now won each of its last two meetings against members of the Southeastern Conference (at Vanderbilt in 2011 & vs. Ole Miss in 2012).- With the victory over Indiana State, Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing owns 44 for the Sycamores, and is tied with John Wooden for 12th all-time at the school.

An Indiana State Win Over San Diego State Would ...• Give Indiana State a perfect 4-0 all-time record against San Diego State.• Be the Sycamores' first victory over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2011 at No. 25 Vanderbilt.• Advance the Sycamores to the Championship of a Multi-Team Event in the State of Hawaii for the first time in three attempts.

The Indiana State Head CoachIndiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 44-32 (.579) overall in his third season as a head coach. He is 20-16 all-time in MVC games, including a 13-5 mark at home and a 7-11 record on the road. During his career, he is 24-8 in all home games, 12-19 on the road, 8-5 in neutral court contests and 13-5 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 0-0 all-time against San Diego State, and is 0-0 versus the Aztecs on a neutral court. With the Trees, Lansing is 3-3 in overtime games and 31-1 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Sunday's game will be Greg Lansing's 77th as Indiana State head coach. Lansing is the second head coach to lead the Sycamores to the NCAA Tournament in their rookie campaign in the history of the program, with the other being Bill Hodges leading ISU to a 33-1 record and a Final Four appearance in the 1979 NCAA Tournament. Lansing was just the 14th rookie head coach in the history of the MVC to lead his team to 20 victories during their debut season.

Television ParticularsThe San Diego State contest will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU. The broadcast can also be seen live on the internet and well as on smartphones and tablets using the WATCHESPN app or by visiting WATCHESPN.com on your computer. A valid subscription is required to access the broadcast over the internet.

A Little HistoryIndiana State is currently in its 117th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,391-1,199 all-time on the hardwood. Indiana State's game at Oral Roberts in 2010 was the historic 2,500th game in the history of the program.

Sycamores Put All Five Starters In Double Figures To Down Ole Miss In Diamond Head Classic OpenerPaced by a career-high 27 points from Manny Arop, the Indiana State Sycamores placed all five of their starters in double figures scoring as they downed Ole Miss 87-85 in overtime in the opener of the 2012 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic on December 22. Justin Gant recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds while Dawon Cummings had 10 and RJ Mahurin scored 14. Jake Odum tallied 16 points to go with eight rebounds and eight assists to just miss his second career triple-double.

Indiana State Has Won Two In A Row Over The Southeastern ConferenceThe Indiana State Sycamores downed Ole Miss by the score of 87-85 in overtime in the opener of the 2012 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. Indiana State has now won each of its last two meetings against the SEC, as they won on the road at No. 25 Vanderbilt in 2011. ISU also earned its first victory since 1986 in Hawaii with the victory over the Rebels. The Sycamores have now won their opener in both the 2011 Old Spice Classic as well as the 2012 Diamond Head Classic.

Manny Arop Ties For Team-High With 18 Points At IUPUI/Named MVC Newcomer Of The WeekManny Arop tied for team-high scoring honors with Jake Odum as he posted 18 points in the Sycamores' 75-61 road victory over IUPUI. For his efforts, Arop picked up his first MVC Newcomer Of The Week honor from the league office. Arop just missed his third double-double of the season as he tallied nine rebounds. Arop hit 8-of-17 shots from the field, and was 2-of-3 from 3-point range. He added one assist and two steals in 32 minutes of action. Arop scored his first points of the game against the Jags with a jumper at the 16:25 mark of the first half and added a lay-up 20 seconds later to stake the Sycamores to a 10-5 lead. Arop then scored 4-of-6 points within the first two minutes of the second half to stretch a six-point halftime lead out to 12. He added back-to-back treys with 15 minutes remaining in the game to keep the lead at double digits.

Jake Odum Also Solid With 18 Points In Road Victory Over IUPUIIndiana State junior guard Jake Odum posted 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds as the Sycamores earned a 75-61 road victory over IUPUI on December 15. Odum hit 7-of-10 shots from the field, and was a perfect 2-of-2 on 3-point attempts and also hit both of free throws. Odum also tied Greg Thomas for 10th all-time on the Indiana State Career Assists Top 10 with three in the game and now has 331 for his career. Odum's eight rebounds tied a season-high. Odum hit a jumper two minutes into the game against the Jags which kickstarted an early 12-0 run which changed a 5-2 early deficit into a 15-5 advantage. Odum hit a 3-pointer and a lay-up to cap that early game changing run. Odum also scored four points as part of a 13-0 run late in the second half which netted the Sycamores their largest lead (18 points) of the game at 70-52 with 5:22 remaining on the clock.

Jake Odum Named To Bob Cousy Award WatchlistJake Odum has been named to the 2013 Bob Cousy Award Watch List. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the watch list of candidates for the 2013 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. The annual honor, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in men's college basketball. Over 80 candidates have been nominated for the 2013 Bob Cousy Award. This watch list of candidates will be narrowed down to a final 20 around January 1st, final 10 near February 1st, and final five by approximately March 1st. A premier Selection Committee has been appointed by the Hall of Fame to review the final five candidates in contention for the nation's top collegiate point guard award. These Hall of Fame committees are made up of top college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, Sports Information Directors and Hall of Famers. The winner of the 2013 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at the Hall of Fame's Class Announcement on Championship Monday in Atlanta as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.

Khristian Smith Leads Sycamores With Career-High 20 Points On The RoadIndiana State freshman Khristian Smith tallied a career-high 20 points to lead all scorers at Morehead State. Smith hit 6-of-9 shots from the field and was 8-of-11 at the free throw line. He made his first career collegiate start against the Eagles.

Newcomers Are No Problem For Indiana StateA pair of Sycamore newcomers finished 1-2 in scoring for the Sycamores at Morehead State. Making his first career start, freshman Khristian Smith led the team with 20 points, hitting 6-of-9 shots from the field and was 8-of-11 from the free throw line with an assist and a steal. Manny Arop continued his hot start to the season by scoring 19 points as well. Of the Sycamores' 63 points at Morehead State, a total of 45 (71.4 percent) was scored by newcomers. For the season, 263 points have come from newcomers, of a total of 632 scored (41.6 percent).

Jake Odum Now One Of Eight Players At ISU To Reach The Career Top 10 Lists For Assists & StealsIndiana State junior guard Jake Odum has 134 career steals, which ranks him seventh all-time in the Sycamore basketball record book, needing 15 more to reach sixth place, currently held by Rick Fields (149 from 1981-85). Odum also now has 339 assists for his career which is good enough for 10th place. He needs 11 more to catch David Moss (350 from 2002 to 2006) for ninth all-time. Odum is the eighth Sycamore in the history of the program to rank in the Indiana State Top 10 for both assists and steals in a career.

Lucas Eitel In The School Record Books For 3-Point Shooting Performance And Honored For Strong AcademicsIndiana State junior guard Lucas Eitel was named the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Of The Week and was the November Indiana State Scholar-Athlete Of The Month following his career-high 25-point performance against High Point on November 25. Eitel hit 11-of-12 shots from the field, including 9-of-10 from three-point range, as the Sycamores won on the road at Ball State (68-48 on November 20) and at home versus High Point (76-62 on November 25). Against High Point, he earned his first career start and scored 25 points on the strength of 9-of-9 shooting, including an Indiana State record of 7-of-7 from behind the three-point arc. Eitel made eight consecutive 3-pointers at Ball State and against High Point to tie Jay Tunnell's school record set in 2009.

Good Starter On The BatteryIndiana State is 6-1 this season when the Sycamore starters outscore their counterparts for the opposition. Under third-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 30-8 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters.

63 Is The Magic NumberThe Sycamores win by the score of 75-61 at IUPUI on December 15 was ISU's fifth this season in which they held an opponent to 63 points or less and earned the victory. ISU is currently 5-0 on the season when holding an opponent under that total. Under third-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 31-1 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 13-0 mark when holding teams to 53 or less).

Sycamore Success Inside Hulman Center Under Greg LansingThe Sycamores are 24-8 (.750) inside Hulman Center under third-year head coach Greg Lansing. The Sycamores have won 15 of their last 20 home games. Additionally, the Sycamores have won 13 of their last 18 MVC games at home.

Sycamores Win At Ball State For The First Time Since 1986Indiana State won 68-48 at Ball State on November 20 to end an 11-game road losing skid to the Cardinals. It was their first victory in Muncie since 1986 and their first at Worthen Arena (which opened in 1991) in nine tries. The Sycamores earned their largest margin of victory over Ball State since 1977 and their largest road win against the Cardinals since 1919.

Sycamores In Postseason Play For Third Consecutive SeasonWith Indiana State's appearance in the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, the Sycamores have now made three consecutive trips to postseason play. ISU played in the 2010 College Basketball Invitational as well as the 2011 NCAA Tournament in addition to the CIT Tournament in 2012. The last time the Sycamores reached postseason play for three consecutive seasons came in 1977-79 when Indiana State played in the 1977 & 1978 NIT as well as the 1979 NCAA Tournament. The last time Indiana State hosted a postseason game came on March 10, 1978 when the Sycamores hosted Illinois State in the first round of the NIT.

Jake Odum Named To The Preseason All-Missouri Valley TeamIndiana State guard Jake Odum was one of five student-athletes named to the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Team on October 29. Odum finished third in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 4.9 assists per game average. That mark was ranked 61st nationally. Odum recorded a career-high 12 assists against Fairfield as part of the Old Spice Classic, a number which ranked tied for fourth all-time at ISU in a single game. Odum is third in the MVC in steals per game with a 1.8 average, which ranks 81st nationally. Additionally, Odum's 4.5 assists per game average of his career is fifth-best in the history of the program while his 119 steals are ranked ninth-best in the Sycamore record books, while his 1.8 steals per game average ranks third.

Sycamores Picked To Finish 7th In Missouri Valley Conference RaceThe Indiana State Sycamores were picked to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference race according to a poll of league head coaches, sports information directors and a media panel. ISU finished eighth last season, with an 8-10 MVC record, just one game out of a large logjam for third place at 9-9.

Indiana State Posts Three Exhibition Victories In The Bahamas In AugustIndiana State took advantage of the NCAA rule allowing teams to participate in a foreign tour of exhibition contests once every four years when they travelled to Nassau, Bahamas from August 12-14 and defeated the Giants 95-76, the Real Deal Shockers 116-75 and the PJ Stingers 76-55. Manny Arop scored 17 points to lead ISU against the Giants, while Dawon Cummings had 18 to pace the Sycamores against the Real Deal Shockers. The Sycamores were led in the final exhibition game of the tour by Lucas Eitel who scored 15 points versus the PJ Stingers.

Indiana State Reaches 17 Regular Season Victories For Third Consecutive Season; First Time Since Larry Bird Era With its 59-46 victory over Missouri State on February 22, 2012, the Sycamores have now posted at least 17 regular season victories for the third consecutive season, which is the first time three Indiana State teams have reached that mark in succession since the 1976-77, 1977-78 & 1978-79 seasons. The Sycamores won 25 in 76-77, 19 in 77-78 and 26 in 78-79.

Triple-Double For Odum And Tournament Record To BootJake Odum battled a foot injury while playing three games in four days at the 2011 Old Spice Classic. After two solid performances in the first two days of the event, Odum saved his best for last as he posted 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists against Fairfield on November 27. That triple-double was the first by a Sycamore since Larry Bird posted one in 1979 versus Drake and the first by a member of the MVC in 14 seasons. Additionally, the 12 assists are an Old Spice Classic single-game record. His 12 assists is the first double digit assist total in his career and the first by a Sycamore since Michael Menser had 11 against Wichita State in 2001.

Up NextIndiana State returns to action on Tuesday, December 25 when compete in the final day of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game will tip-off at either 7:30 or 9:30 p.m. (ET) and will be televised nationally on ESPN2/Watch ESPN.